Tuesday, June 25, 2013

One in three women is victim of sexist violence at home

That is what Al Jazeera reports based on a WHO report. The figure of ~37% is similar across Asia and Africa, being somewhat lower but still very worrisome in the First World (~23%).

Domestic violence leaves a dramatic legacy in survivors and children alike:

Women with a violent partner were twice as likely to suffer from
depression and develop an alcohol problem, compared to women who did not
experience abuse.

Victims of violence were also found to be far more likely to contract
a range of sexually-transmitted diseases, from syphilis to HIV.

The study also flagged the higher likelihood of abused women having
an unwanted pregnancy, an abortion, or an underweight baby - and their
children were more likely to become abusers or victims in adulthood.

In the USA a major issue is that victims of domestic violence can be fired for their aggressors' behavior. Only six states have laws against it and real cases of such workplace repercussions of domestic violence are not uncommon at all (~70% of sexist violence victims are harassed or attacked at work by their "partners", being murder at their aggressor's hands a major cause of death in the workplace among women, and many of them have lost their jobs as result of their aggressor's violence spilling into the victim's job) → TP.